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1/10/15

Product Rave: Blush Palettes

Hey guys! Today I thought I would talk about a category of makeup that I have grown to love over the years, and that is blush palettes! Most high-end brands have their own version or two, usually containing several shades for a fraction of the price you would normally pay if you were to buy each blush individually. Blush is one of my FAVORITE makeup items, it can totally transform your look and give so much life to your face. Having a blush palette from your favorite brands allows you to try colors and hues you might not normally pick out, and with them you inevitably have any color you need to go with whatever look you are aiming for. Economical and compact, I don't think you can go wrong investing in some good quality blush palettes. Today I am going to show you my top 3 high-end ones that I have, as well as 2 others that I put together. To get started I will show you my newest one that came out for the holidays in 2014, and it is the Cheeky Sweet Spot by Benefit.

This was an incredible deal, a $119 value at only $36. The palette itself is this adorable holiday themed tin, which is really more compact than what you'd think it'd be.

Benefit has 8 box o'powders and you get 6 of those in this palette, the only ones you don't get are Dallas and Hervana. Also included is a little flip-top container of their cream Watt's Up! highlight, and one of their iconic brushes.

Benefits blushes and bronzer are beautiful! I have a few of these that I have purchased individually, but there are several in here that I didn't own. You really do get a decent amount of product in this. Benefit box o' powders are funny, they all look the same but you do not get the same amount of product on each one. Even though they vary slightly in size all of the boxed powders retail for $28.

Here is what you get (in grams) when you buy FULL SIZE box o' powders:

Rockateur: 5g

Dandelion: 7g

Hoola: 8g

Bella Bamba: 8g

CORALista: 8g

Sugarbomb: 12g

Watt's Up!: (available in 2 different sizes) 9.4g or 2.5g

Here is what you get (in grams) in the Cheeky Sweet Spot Palette:

Rocketeur: 5g (you actually get a full-size of this)

Dandelion: 4g

Hoola: 5g

Bella Bamba: 5g

CORALista: 5g

Sugarbomb: 6g

Watt's Up!: 1.5g

I think this was HANDS DOWN the best blush palette released in 2014. It was the first time Benefit had ever released such a product and I think they did a phenomenal job, especially with the super-affordable price tag. I don't think this product is still available on their site, but you could definitely still snag this for a reasonable price on eBay.

The next palette I am going to talk about is the Tarte Off the Cuff 2013 holiday palette. I have loved and enjoyed the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes for years now, so this palette was a total no-brainer.

Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes are normally 0.20oz and retail for $26/each. This palette contained 4 blushes and 1 bronzer (each 0.158oz). That's $95 worth of makeup with a price tag of $42. That's a steal! The palette itself is beautiful, sparkly, slim, and would be excellent for traveling as it holds a ton of product but is super compact all at the same time.

3 of the products in the palette were from the permanent line (Dazzled, Dollface and Park Ave Princess). 2 of these shades were LE (Crave and Darling). I will mention, this palette came with a faux leather cuff bracelet as well.

I absolutely adore the colors in this palette. A pinky-coral, berry-rose, warm peach, and a cool-toned pink, there's a blush to go with basically any look you wanted. I've always been a fan of their Park Avenue Princess bronzer, which is a beautiful warm, golden brown that is so creamy and smooth. Tarte came out with a 2014 blush palette which I'm sure was nice, but I decided to skip it. It had bigger/bulkier packaging that appeared to be padded, that included a couple of hair pins that I would never use. The blushes included in that palette looked beautiful, although I know I probably wouldn't have used the 1st shade in the palette which looked super pale. And, it didn't have the bronzer in it this time which was a big let down for me. I'm happy with the one I have and don't really need another one.

And the 3rd palette I will mention is my beloved Joie De Vivre cheek palette by Nars. This one was a Nordstrom exclusive, and it still to this day continues to be their best cheek palette they have ever released (in my opinion).

Nars put the best possible products in this I think! You get the best highlight shade they have, Albatross, their infamous Laguna bronzer, and 4 of their most popular blushes (Gaiety, Luster, Orgasm, and Angelika). Full size Nars blushes are 0.16oz and retail for $30/each. Albatross is sold at $30 for 0.16oz as well, and Laguna retails for $38 for 0.28oz. In this palette each product is 0.12oz (which is very close to full size) and it retailed for $62. An unbelievably good deal.

Top Row: Albatross, Gaiety, Luster

Bottom Row: Laguna, Orgasm, Angelika

Nars is by far what I have the most of in my makeup collection as far as high-end makeup brands go. I love their products so much, especially their blush and eyeshadows. My favorite blush from Nars is Gaiety. There's just something so special about it, it is absolutely stunning on the face. Orgasm is a universally flattering, can't-go-wrong type of blush. I had actually never tried Luster until I owned this palette, even though EVERYONE raves about it. I absolutely LOVE Luster! Once you try it you will see why so many people love it. The only shade in the palette I was leery about was Angelika which looks straight up glittery in the pan. It's a beautiful cotton candy pink (swatches much deeper than Gaiety) and the glitter doesn't really transfer or show up on your face, so no worries. A light golden highlight, bright/matte candy pink, golden apricot, dark golden bronzer, peachy golden, and a shimmery cotton candy pink....that equals the perfect palette! I couldn't adore this more. This palette is a couple of years old now, but if you are interested in it you can still find it on eBay usually. Be prepared to pay an arm and a leg, but if you really want it it's usually pretty easy to find. Nars released a 2014 blush palette and I came really close to buying it, but in the end decided not to. It came with a really big Laguna bronzer which is the main reason I wanted it. But, the highlight shade in the palette is straight up glitter and I would NOT have used that. The blush shades in the palette are beautiful, but there was really no need for me to get it. I have what I consider the perfect blush palette from Nars, one that I use every single product in, and I just couldn't justify buying one that I knew there were products in it I would not use.

And lastly I am going to show you a couple of blush palettes that I put together myself. Having your blushes altogether in palettes like this is so handy, as you don't have a drawer full of singles floating all about. When you have them in a palette it is easier to see exactly what you've got and you are more likely to actually use them. The first one is my MAC blush palette.

MAC blushes are available in typical hard plastic flip-top containers, or you can get them in these refill pans. You just buy the empty palette (from their site) then buy the refill pan and pop them in it. So much handier than rifling through a sea of products taking up so much space in your vanity drawer.

I put a label on the bottom of my palette so I know what my blush shades are without having to constantly pop them out to see.

I also have a drugstore blush palette I put together as well! As far as Z Palettes go, my favorite are the Sephora ones, I think they are the best....not to mention the cutest.

These are all my Milani blushes that I depotted - both mineral and baked.

So convenient to have all of them together in one palette, and I find myself using them more often with them packaged this way. Takes up such less space and I know exactly where they are when I need them.

Thanks for stopping by today everybody! Let me know what blush palettes are your favorites and if you have any of these. If you have any questions just leave 'em below! xoxoxoxo-